The editors (of the U. of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences and the U. of Lancaster's Lancaster Environment Center, UK) present 17 chapters reviewing the science of sinks for carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, the three main anthropogenic greenhouse gases thought to be responsible for rising global temperatures. Chapters describe the characteristics of ocean, vegetation, soil, and geological sinks. They consider carbon synthesis as a form of artificial sink and assess the prospect for biological carbon sinks in greenhouse gas emissions trading systems. Sinks particularly suited to each of the main gases are reviewed. The final two chapters examine the impact of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the exchange of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane from European forests and discuss crosscutting issues and new directions. Distributed in the US by Oxford U. Press. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Bringing together leading researchers from around the world this book reviews how vegetation and soils act as naturally occurring buffers which use up the gases responsible for global warming and the greenhouse effect. It provides in-depth information on the importance of these sinks, how they may respond to increased greenhouse gas emissions, how we can protect them and how they can help us mitigate climate change.
